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The ATA Carnet in the European Union

If your company sits anywhere in the EU, the single most important carnet fact is this: the EU-27 is one customs territory. There are no customs formalities between member states, so you never need a carnet for a demo in France, Italy or the Netherlands. Your carnet's "departure territory" is the whole EU, and the carnet itself is for travel outside it: Switzerland, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan and the other non-EU destinations.

Who issues, who stamps

The lifecycle - the same in every member state

The booklet (or its digital twin) works identically wherever in the EU it was issued. For a simple round trip:

  1. Open the carnet inland, before travel. A fresh carnet must be opened by customs before the goods leave the EU. Germany calls this the Binnenzollamt route, France the domiciliation rule; the idea is the same everywhere. The inland office checks the goods against the list, secures their identity (serial numbers, or seals if you didn't list any), and pre-processes the yellow export sheet. Your departure-day customs stop then shrinks to a date entry.
  2. EU exit stamp (yellow). Where the goods leave the EU - an airport, the Swiss border, a ferry port, in any of the 27 - the exit office completes the yellow export sheet. You must actively visit the customs desk; nobody will wave you over.
  3. Import and re-export abroad (white). The destination's customs processes the white import sheet on arrival and the white re-export sheet when you leave. Check the officer's entries on the spot, especially any re-export deadline shorter than the carnet's validity, written in box 2 of the counterfoil. That shorter date is binding.
  4. EU re-import stamp (yellow). Coming home, the yellow re-import sheet is stamped at whichever EU border office you enter through. It doesn't have to be where you exited, and it doesn't have to be in your own country. This stamp is your proof if a foreign administration later claims the goods never left.
  5. Return the carnet to your chamber as soon as you no longer need it, at the latest on expiry. The chamber checks the counterfoils and discharges the carnet.

Driving through a third country on the way (a trade fair in Switzerland is the classic example)? That's a transit, handled with blue transit sheets used in pairs: one at entry, one at exit. Order enough when applying; the list of sheets is fixed once the carnet is issued.

The digital carnet (eATA)

Carnets issued from 1 June 2026 are digital by default in the launch countries (the EU-27, Switzerland, Norway and the UK): the carnet lives in the free ICC Carnet App, and customs steps happen by QR code. Paper hasn't disappeared, though. Carnets issued before that date stay paper, paper continues for non-eATA destinations, and the chambers hand out paper backups during the transition. The remaining ATA countries are due to switch by around 2028. If your itinerary mixes eATA and non-eATA countries, ask your chamber what you'll physically carry.

Pick your country

Everything above is shared. What differs per country is the practical part: which portal you apply on, what it costs, and which customs offices to use. One page per country:

Germany

Your IHK and e-ata.de, the fee and insurance tables, Frankfurt and Munich airports, Weil am Rhein - how to apply, fees, offices

France

The GEFI portal, the national tariff, Paris CDG and Orly, the Calais/Eurotunnel route to the UK - how to apply, fees, offices

Country pages for the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are planned. Based elsewhere in the EU? The lifecycle on this page still applies; your national chamber of commerce is the place to ask about issuing.

Quick answers and recovery playbooks

? EU Carnet FAQ
Costs, validity, serial numbers, batteries, selling abroad - short Q&As ! Fix a problem
Missed stamps, claims from abroad, lost carnets, goods that stay

Key facts, EU-wide

Customs territory One: the EU-27. No carnet for trips between member states (except the special fiscal territories)
Issued by National chambers of commerce (IHKs in Germany, CCIs in France), each with a national guaranteeing association. Customs only opens and stamps
Exit / re-entry EU export and re-import stamps work at any EU border office, in any member state - not just your own
Validity 12 months, never extendable; destination customs can set shorter re-export deadlines (box 2 of the counterfoil)
Security Germany and France both charge a flat, non-refundable insurance-style fee scaled to the goods value - no Swiss-style percentage deposit
Digital (eATA) Carnets issued from 1 June 2026 are digital by default (ICC Carnet App + QR code); paper continues alongside during the transition
Where it works Almost 80 countries; issuance towards Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is currently suspended

New to carnets entirely? Start with What is an ATA Carnet? and the robotics guide. Heading to Switzerland or the UK? The other side of the trip is covered in the Switzerland and United Kingdom sections.

Sources

Every factual claim on this page comes from the sources below, checked on the "last reviewed" date in the footer. Official resources are linked in whatever language they are published in.